Harry Potter and the Ladies of Black
by Lord Blood
Summary: AU 6th year. PreHBP. It's the summer between Harry's fifth and sixth year. What happens when someone he despises with his life comes to him and offers him a chance to use her as a slave? What happens when two others fall into a similar situation? HPBBNBNT
1. An Unexpected Visitor and an Unexpected

Harry Potter and the Lady of Black

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or the characters.

Summary: AU 6th year. Pre-HBP. It's the summer between Harry's fifth and sixth year. What happens when someone he despises with his life comes to him and offers him a chance to use her as a slave? What happens when two others fall into a similar situation? HPBBNBNT harem.

Chapter 1: An Unexpected Visitor and an Unexpected Surprise

Harry Potter, a boy of 15, was lying on his miniature bed in his miniature room in 4 Privet Drive in the small town of Little Whinging, Surrey.

He was wide awake looking up at his bed, mourning the loss of his godfather, Sirius Black, who ended up dead because he was dumb enough to fall for a simple ploy. If he had only tried to contact Sirius through his magical mirror, or learned Occlumency from a capable teacher, perhaps it might have never happened. But instead, he was stuck here in this god-forsaken hole, starved of food and fresh air.

All this thinking led to Dumbledore. Why was Dumbledore always the last to arrive to the scene, never to help when the help was needed most? This line of thought brought Harry to eventually conclude that everything that happened to him was Dumbledore's fault. His abuse at the Dursleys', the ordeal with the Philosopher's Stone, the Chamber, the tournament; all were problems stemming either directly or indirectly from Dumbledore's decisions.

"For someone who's expected to kill the big, bad Dark Lord, you'd think they treat me a _little_ better! How does that old bastard expect me to kill him when I don't get any training?!," he thought, his anger rising.

Another thing to think about was that Dumbledore was too lenient. Captured Death Eaters were thrown in Azkaban, only to be broken out within a few months. Why bother capturing then? Shouldn't they do their best to cut down Voldemort's forces? The prisoners should be executed! Harry's beliefs were quite strong when it came to this.

_Why the hell am I still here anyway? Voldemort stole my blood fourth year, so the so called "blood protection" wards shouldn't be able to stop him._

He turned his head and looked at the desk where there should've been a pile of letters there to comfort him in his time of need. Unfortunately, it was barren.

_Not a single letter. Some friends they are. They can't even bother to send a bloody letter to see how I'm feeling or if I need help…_His morose thoughts were interrupted by a hoot by his snowy owl, Hedwig, his first and most faithful friend.

"What now?" he asked irritably, wanting to brood in silence. Hedwig just hooted in response, and Harry could've sworn that if it was possible, she was looking at him with disdain. Another hoot and Harry could take no more. "I'm going out for a walk, Hedwig, since I can't get any_ silence_ around here!"

Harry grabbed his invisibility cloak and snuck out, walking to the park a few blocks away. The park was his sanctuary, where peace and quiet reigned supreme. Since Dudley and his gang destroyed everything there was in this small park, no one ever bothered to come here anymore, and wild bushes sprang up, surrounding the park from outsiders. This was his place to think and rest, and he would be damned before he'd let someone ruin it.

Harry slowly made his way to an old swing and sat down, his legs kicking at the dirt and his gaze straight down.

Some time later, an audible pop was heard and Harry's head snapped up, wand in hand.

And there, standing in front of him was Bellatrix Lestrange, Sirius' cousin and murderer.

"I'll KILL you!" he growled and just as he was about to scream two words that would snuff out the light in her eyes, she raised her hands, which to his surprise, were bare of any plausible weapons.

"Wait! Just hear me out first," she yelled.

Without lowering his wand, Harry just spat for her to continue quickly, lest she find herself missing a head.

"I am here to fulfill a Blood Debt," she paused and watched for Harry's reaction. Seeing none, she rightfully assumed he did not understand its significance. "A Blood Debt occurs when one person kills the head of his or her family. In my instance, I belong to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, and Sirius was my head. Since I killed him, the debt occurs between you, the heir to his line, and me, the offender. Normally, most Blood Debts are not called, since it is a very old Pureblood tradition.

"The Dark Lord, the fool that he is," she ground out bitterly, "called on me to fulfill my debt to you so that I could get to you and either get you to join him or to kill you. By ordering me out of his service and into another, he loses all control over me, and is no longer my lord. You see, when we take the Dark Mark, it symbolizes his absolute control over us. What he says, we must do (to the best of out capabilities, which isn't much if you consider most of the Death Eaters). If you accept me, the debt will be paid and I will be bound to you as a slave. I will also lose the Dark Mark." Her voice held a hopeful tinge as she explained the last part.

"Am I right in understanding that you do not wish to keep the mark?" he asked slowly, with his wand still level with her face

"Yes, you assume correctly. Allow me to explain. I come from a long line of purebloods, and such, was raised as one. Our ideals are that we are superior in every way to muggles, muggleborns, and halfbloods. Fourteen years of brainwash does eventually affect the mind, you know. My family arranged a marriage between Rodolphus and myself, which I reluctantly accepted, lest I be disowned from my family, like my sister Andromeda, who married a muggleborn. When we were introduced Rodolphus was a gentleman and I couldn't wait to get married to such a kind and gentle man. On our honeymoon, he took me on a Death Eater initiation, where the recruit is supposed to kill and torture a muggle. I refused to do something so barbaric." She paused here and took a breath of air. "When I refused he just slapped me and brought me to his home. There he raped me with his brother Rabastan and then put me under the Imperius. When you defeated the Dark Lord, I was under the influence of the Imperius for such a long time I forgot who I really was, so the effects never really went away, even when I went to Azkaban. The moment I was back in His service, they didn't bother to reapply the curse, so I was in my own mind, so to speak. I was too scared to rebel against His orders, so I only went along half-heartedly with his wishes. Why do you think I only shot a stunner at my dear cousin? I would've thought he had more brain than to get killed by a such a simple spell," she concluded sadly, as in deep thought.

Harry was listening to her story, but also attempting to assess the truth to her words. He looked into her violet eyes and his brain was going on lightspeed, thinking things through. The truth and sincerity with which she said convinced him that she was in fact telling the truth.

"I, Harry James Potter, do hereby accept the Blood Debt from one Bellatrix Black. I forever accept you into my service until I release you or until the day I die. So mote it be," he incanted suddenly.

A small yellow tendril of magic emerged from Harry's heart and Bellatrix's forearm and twirled together, before disappearing in a quick burst of light.

When the light seceded, Bellatrix was wearing an elegant, black robe with the Potter crest emblazoned on her left breast. She pulled her right sleeve up and to her delight, the Dark Mark was no longer there.

"Wow she's beautiful," Harry thought as his eyes raked over her body.

Bellatrix blushed in surprise, and asked aloud, "Do you really think I'm beautiful Master?"

"Yes. Hey wait a second, how did you read my mind?" he asked, startled.

To which Bella replied, "I didn't, I thought you said it aloud."

"Nope it was most definitely in my head."

"Well maybe this is a result of being bonded? But I've never heard of a master/slave bond like this. Think something again."

The first thought that came to mind was Bella. "You're breath-taking…"

Bella blushed again and said, "Thank you master. Now see if you can hear my thoughts."

Harry stared at her intently and he heard "You're not so bad looking yourself." His cheeks turned red in embarrassment and just confirmed that they could read each other's mind.

As soon as he looked away, a brown owl came swooping down and dropped an elegant letter into Harry's open hand. The owl left as suddenly as it came.

He looked down at the letter and saw it decorated with the symbol of Gringott's: a golden galleon with two elegant goblin-crafted longswords crossed to form an X.

_Dear Mr. Harry James Potter,_

_We were recently notified that one Mr. Sirius Orion Black has passed away. As his major beneficiary you are required to come in before the initial release of the public will. Enclosed is a portkey to bring you here directly into the Office of Wills and Testaments, where you shall hear the part concerning you inheritance. We will be awaiting your presence._

_May your gold always flow,_

_Ragnarok, Director of Gringotts_

Harry reread the letter once more, feeling a lonely tear emerge at the thought of Sirius. Bella noticed his tear and managed to take the letter as Harry still stood there as his grief overwhelmed him, and a small silver pin dropped out of the letter.

Once Bella picked the pin up and read the letter, she just looked at her new master and asked, "So Master, when do you plan on going?"

Harry slowly turned his head towards her and replied, "Don't call me Master. Just call me Harry, but if you have to, just refer to me as sir. And I'd like to go now. But first, put your hood over your head so no one can see your identity.

"No worries," she replied cheerfully as she waved her hand over her face, causing her hair to turn from its shiny black to a dull blonde, and her eyes to become more Oriental and turn a color of blue. Then she waved her hand over Harry's face, and his hair turned red and grew down to his shoulders, and his eyes turned chocolate brown.

To say Harry was surprised was an understatement. Wandless _and_ nonverbal magic. The only people he knew who could do it were Dumbledore and Voldemort.

"It's really not that hard, you know," she said. "I can teach you if you want, Mas- I mean, Harry."

Harry agreed. "Bella, can you teach me everything you know about the Dark Arts? I know that I need not to be prejudiced against magic to win against Voldemort, and you must've learned a lot of things, although involuntarily."

"Of course. If you don't mind, we should get going now, before it gets completely dark." She reached her hand out and gently laid it on Harry's arm.

_Whoosh!_

Harry only had time to blink before the world melted away and he reappeared in a large meeting room, where a goblin was standing at attention. Harry held up the letter and the pin, which the goblin took away.

"Very well, Mr. Potter, if you would please follow me," the goblin said.

The two left the meeting room and quickly approached a side hall. The goblin lead them to one of the doors and knocked. The door opened and someone inside grunted something in Gobbledegook.

The goblin who led Harry and Bella here quickly said something in the goblin native tongue and then left. The door opened widely to reveal an old goblin with a long white beard, a bit like Dumbledore's. This new goblin then motioned them inside.

"Hello," the goblin said, "I am Ragnarok, director of Gringotts. You are here to see about your godfather's will, am I correct, Mr. Potter?," Ragnarok continued.

"Yes I am. If you would, I'd like to get this over as soon as possible."

Ragnarok pointedly looked at Bella.

"She stays," Harry said forcefully.

Ragnarok nodded and pulled out a small, stone basin from his desk and handed Harry a small dagger.

"To confirm your identity, Mr. Potter," was all he provided

Harry pricked his finger and let several drops of blood into the basin, which then glowed a bright white.

"Ah, very well, Mr. Potter. Now let us proceed with the reading of the will."

Ragnarok put the basin away and pulled out a Pensieve. He put his long, gnarly finger in and stirred for a few seconds, when a figure emerged from the white essence.

"Hey Harry, it's me Sirius! Ok, I know I'm dead, but there's no need to be so Sirius! Ha! Sorry, couldn't resist one last joke. Onto the will! 20 percent of my money will be spread equally between Remus, the last remaining Marauder, and Tonks, my favorite cousin. Everything else is now yours, Harry, including Headquarters. Spend the money well, have some fun, and most importantly, _enjoy your life!_ I know I probably died for some dumb reason, but I do hope you won't mourn for me forever. If you insist on mourning however, then just prank the hell out of your classmates. I better not see you for at least a hundred years, or else I'll prank you so bad you'll cry. Got it? Good. Seeya, Padfoot out."

The figure of Sirius Black disappeared. Ragnarok quietly sat at his desk for several minutes to let Harry and Bella, who he did not know the identity of, weep.

After five minutes had gone by, he cleared his throat and asked if they were alright to move on. They responded with a single "yes". Ragnarok proceeded to pull out a scroll and opened it up.

"These documents contain your material assets, and the liquid assets that you have just received."

Harry took the scroll from Ragnarok and looked it over: Grimmauld Place, Black Manor, several different houses in many of the major countries over the world, a deed to his own private island somewhere in the Caribbean, and ownership of several prominent businesses were listed.

Near the bottom of the list, it also said that he gained the right to the title of Lord Black. By becoming a Lord before reaching 17, emancipation would be automatically granted. Harry could now do magic without fear of an owl swooping in with a letter saying he was expelled and his wand snapped.

At the very bottom, Harry's liquid assets were listed there: 3,000,000 galleons. Harry nodded to Ragnarok and handed the scroll to Bella who quickly skimmed through it..

"Mr. Potter, would you like us to move your new inheritance into your Potter vault, or keep it in separate vaults?"

"One vault please, and give access to Bella here, so she can withdraw money when I'm unavailable."

"Very well. There is one last thing for you to consider before you go. I understand that your life is in danger quite often, no? Perhaps a will is in order?"

Harry nodded and Ragnarok snapped his fingers. A piece of parchment and a white quill appeared in his hands, and he handed it to Harry. Harry quickly jotted a few things down to leave for his loved ones in case of his untimely death.

"Thank you Mr. Potter. If you wish to, you can make it a recording, like your godfather's," the old goblin offered.

"No thank you. Now, I must get some of my money. Do you have a way for me to access my money without going to my vault every time?" he asked.

The old goblin nodded and pulled out a pouch and a wallet. "The wallet is for muggle money, and the pouch for Wizarding money. You merely stick your hand in the wallet or pouch, think about how much money you want to pull out, and it'll be charged to your vault. And don't worry about the cost for these two items. They're a gift for one of our most precious customers."

"Thank you for your time and for the gifts," Harry concluded and bowed, Bella mimicking his actions. The two beat a hasty retreat out of the bank and back into Diagon Alley.

As the two moved through the Alley, a group of Order members apparated in right in front of them.

"Quick," one yelled, "find the boy! Dumbledore says he's in great danger while he's out here!"

The group split up, with some going towards the bank, and some going through the shops.

Harry and Bella kept their head down as they walked past the Order members.

They walked past several shops before stopping at Flourish and Blott's. The two walked in, with Bella going straight to the books section to pick up several informative books on the Dark Arts, the Mind Arts, and Potions.

Seeing the book on Potions, Harry raised an eyebrow, and even though Bella couldn't see it, she responded that it was for her.

He nodded and went to the counter to pay. After the purchases were made, Harry and Bella walked out of the store,

They noticed that the Order members were still searching diligently for Harry.

"Come, let us return home," Harry siad.

Bella nodded and place her hand on Harry's

_Pop_!

A gentle pop later, the two were back in the park where they met. They walked slowly back to the house while planning on what to do to train Harry for the rest of the summer.


	2. A Meeting With a Friend

Chapter 2: A Meeting With a Friend

_The Next Day_

_Splash!_

"Agh! What?! What?! Are we under attack?!" The drowsy Harry Potter sprang out from his bed, wand held clumsily in his hand while his clothes dripped water onto the floor.

Bella, standing a few feet away from the bed, grinned at the barely awake Harry. The smile on her face was abnormal, and when Harry saw it, he gaped.

"Wow, I've never seen you smile an actual smile before."

Bella, ignoring this comment, clapped her hands loudly and yelled for Harry to get up more quicker.

That's when he noticed. A bucket lay suspended in air by magic, and his bed was wet. Only one conclusion was reached.

"Bella," he growled. "Why was it necessary for you to wake me up like that?" He glanced at the clock beside him. "And at five in the bloody morning too!"

"Well, I was bored, and you need to be trained!" she exclaimed brightly.

"Damn morning people," he grumbled, as he slowly gathered his clothes and headed towards the bathroom down the hall in his "home" at Privet Drive.

"Hey Bella, since you were so kind enough to enlarge my room and place another bed in there, do you think you can add another bathroom? I would really rather not go share a bathroom with one of my relatives," he asked with a bit of disdain for his "family".

Bella, it seems, came home with Harry yesterday, causing Harry's whale-ish Uncle Vernon to go from a startling color of red to puce to white in a matter of a second.

_"What the hell do you think you're doing?! I will not stand for another one of you FREAKS coming to live under MY roof! Out! Get out!"_

_Bella, in return, stared with great dislike for this fat muggle and pulled out her wand, which was the reason for Vernon's change to white._

_"You would do best to shut your mouth, Muggle, or I'd do it for you!" She ended her threat with a light Stinging Hex at Vernon's arm, and he gasped at the small shock._

_"Please forgive me for insulting your family, Harry," she said._

_"It's ok. I'm not too big of a fan of them myself..."_

_The two proceeded to go upstairs, where Bella saw her new master's pathetic room, and used her powerful Charms skill to enlarge the room, enlarge Harry's bed, conjure another bed for herself, and conjure other basic furniture which belong in a bedroom. _

_"You're going to need your sleep Harry, for we are getting up very early tomorrow to start your training." And with that, the two of them dropped off into their respective beds and quickly fell asleep._

"Of course, Harry." She pulled out her 8 inch wand and proceeded to conjure up a door, which would lead to a bathroom.

As she worked on this, Harry was deep in thought. He knew that Bella would know a lot of Dark Arts, and he was determined to learn some for himself. He also realized that Bella wasn't that bad of a person to be around, now that she isn't under Voldemort's control (or so she claims). He was still a tiny bit suspicious, but having lived his life the way he did, that was not irregular. Their day together also helped to further bond them a bit, not in any way of an actual bond, but more in a platonic fashion. If one were to happen across this pair, they'd think that the two might be friends, albeit distant friends, rather than as master and slave.

After Bella finished conjuring up a bathroom, Harry went in and took a quick shower. When he stepped out out of the tub, he realized he forgot something extremely important.

"Err...Bella? Do you think you could get some of my clothes? I kinda forgot 'em..." he asked sheepishly.

Bella smirked (she would've giggled, but that was inappropriate as a Black) and walked over to his small closet. She yanked open the door and looked through his clothes.

With a look of disgust she flicked her hand and all of Harry's hand-me-downs burned.

"I think you need a new wardrobe!" she said in a sing-song tone, while picking up both Harry's pouch and wallet.

"Yes I think so, too, but I don't have time to get new clothes right now. Can you just hand me my stuff so I can get out?" he asked exasperatedly. But that's when he smelled the acrid smell of smoke. "Oy Bella! What're you doing in there? I smell smoke!"

"Nothing!" she yelled back innocently. "You need a new wardrobe though. They happened to catch fire, so...I think I'll go out and go shopping for your clothes, alright?"

"Wait, wait, what?! My clothes are on fire?!" He yelled out in panic. And then he stopped to think about it. "Are you sure you didn't set it on fire yourself?" he asked with a wry grin.

"Whoops," she replied back. "I'm going out now! I'll be back in an hour or so."

"But I don't have any clothes to wear now!"

"Yes you do! You have the clothes you wore into the bathroom!"

"Not anymore...I kinda ripped it apart by accident when I was taking them off."

Bella smirked again (this time, she giggled mentally to herself). "So you're all naked then, eh? I wonder how strong your locking charms are..."

"NO! Don't come in! No way! Just go buy me some clothes and get back here! You're not gonna see me naked!"

This time Bella snorted. Just as a slight pop was heard as a sign of disapparition, Harry heard a small voice in his head. "'Tis a shame. I would've liked to see that."

And with that, Bella was gone from the house, leaving a very red Harry standing naked in the bathroom.

* * *

_Pop!_

Bella apparated into a deserted alley near the Leaky Cauldron, a black hood covering her beautiful pale face, glamours in place. As soon as her feet hit the ground, she strode into the pub, walked to the back, and tapped the bricks with her wand, revealing the glorious sight that was Diagon Alley. Without pause, she walked straight to Madam Malkin's.

"You there!" she snapped at one of the attendants. I need a whole new wardrobe for a young teenager of around 15 with auto-sizing charms on them. Money is no problem, and he needs you to get him the very best."

The young lady immediately bustled to tell Madam Malkin's about this large purchase, and after doing so, headed towards the clothes rack, occasionally stopping to stare at the clothes and either placing them in a pile or putting it back on the rack.

Madam Malkin herself came out to help this customer, as she was amazed by this large purchase.

"Take this, this, and that. No not that! That one! Hmm...no not this one, too gaudy," she mumbled to the assistant. Turning back to Bella, she asked, "Is the person you're shopping for an heir to a House?"

"The person I'm shopping for is a _Lord_ to a house, so the clothes you provide for him must fit his status."

"Ah," Malkin said in recognition, and put away some of the clothes her assistant had pulled out. She then headed towards the back. A minute later, Malkin returned with two sets of formal robes, for "formal occasions", she said.

Ten minutes later, Malkin and her assistant were still pulling things from the racks and putting some away. While the two went through all the clothes, Bella suddenly wondered something. 'If Harry is a Lord and has gained emancipation, shouldn't he have received the Potter inheritance too?'

Thinking of no possible solution to this dilemma, Bella resolved to go and ask the goblin about this after she was done clothes shopping.

Another ten minutes later, and all the clothes that were picked out were placed in several shopping bags, shrunk, and paid for. Madam Malkin, who was so happy with this sale, handed over a coupon to Bella, which guaranteed a discount the next time this Lord or his representative came back.

She stalked out and headed towards the Goblin bank, all thoughts on the Potter inheritance. She strode right up to one of the goblin security guards and asked to see Ragnarok about an inheritance. The goblin nodded, and she was led back to the room where they met last time.

"Ahh...Friend of Mr. Potter, yes? What can I do for you?" the old goblin asked as he was finishing up some paperwork.

"I'd like to know why he hasn't received his Potter inheritance. He has gained emancipation, so it should've made him legal and able to receive the inheritance."

"Well, the will specifically stated that the heir will only receive the inheritance at the age of seventeen, regardless of all circumstances, and since Mr. Potter is only fifteen, he cannot access what is rightfully his."

"Ah ok," Bella said, and with that she calmly walked back to the apparition point in Diagon Alley.

* * *

_Pop!_

"Bella, is that you?" a muffled voice called out from behind a door as Bella appeared in the middle of Harry's new and magically improved room.

"Yes! And I got you a lot of new clothes."

"Yeah, well just hand me something so I can get out of here. I've been in here for nearly two hours!"

"You mean you haven't left the bathroom once? Even though I wasn't in your room for those two hours?"

"Well, yeah," he replied. "I was afraid that you might pop in at any time."

"And what makes you think I can't just 'pop' into the bathroom?"

"...Can I have my clothes now?"

Smirking, Bella enlarged her purchases and meticulously put them all away, while Harry urged her to hurry up.

Finally after putting them away neatly, Bella pulled out random clothes and yanked open the bathroom door. Harry, who was still naked, screamed in surprise, but thankfully, Bella decided to respect his privacy by only chucking his clothes through the small opening.

A minute later, Harry came out, wearing a green sweater that matched his eyes, and a pair of blue jeans. "Thanks Bella," he said to her awkwardly.

"Alright, now we shall begin your training. Read those pile of books, and tell me when you're through. I'll test you on the material afterwards," she commanded, pointing at a stack of books in the corner of the room. The pile was the new purchases that they had gotten and Flourish and Blott's. After Harry picked up the first book, Bella pulled out her wand and started conjuring up a second room.

"I need a laboratory for something," she explained. After the conjuration was done, she walked in and closed the door.

* * *

_Ten Minutes Later_

Harry heard a muttered curse. He was about to knock on the door and see what the problem was when Bella stormed out.

"What's the matter, Bella?"

"I lack something of great importance for a potion I need. I'm going to go out and buy it, alright Harry?"

"Sure," he said, waving her concerns away. "Oh before you go, you think you can put up some wards to keep my relatives away from my room? I totally forgot about them..."

Bella immediately put up a silencing ward, an imperturbable ward, a notice-me-not ward, and a Muggle-repelling ward around Harry's room. When she was done, she apparated away to the other alley this time. Knockturn Allley.

* * *

Bella appeared back in the apparation point in Diagon Alley again, and this time quickly walked into Knockturn Alley. She noticed that there were almost no people in the streets, which was a rare occurrence, since it was already noon. She knew that one of the stores that outwardly displayed a business of selling legitimate potions supplies actually carried many illegal items. She happened to need a crushed fang of Basilisk, and was sure this shop owner had one in his possession. 

At the store, Bella banged the door open with her hand, and the proprietor snapped his head up to look at his new customer. She removed the Glamours and her hood and displayed her natural self to the man. "Give me a crushed fang of Basilisk. The Dark Lord requires it, and he wants it NOW!"

The terrified man immediately ran to the back of the store before returning with the requested, nay demanded, item. He held it out to her and she quickly snatched it away. "Do not tell anyone of my being here, understand? Or else there won't be anything left for the Aurors to identify of you."

The man nodded his head and scurried as far as physically possible away from her.

As Bella left the store towards the apparition point in Diagon Alley with her hood on, she thought, 'I feel bad for the man, but hey, I might as well use my reputation for something beneficial.'

Unfortunately, she happened to bump into a person at the entrance of Knockturn Alley.

"Whoa! Pardon me!" the other person said, clearly a female from the voice.

As luck would have it, Bella forgot to put her Glamour back on, and the hood was knocked off when she collided with this second person, revealing who she was to her.

"Oh shit! Bellatrix Lestrange!" the other person exclaimed, but not loudly enough to alert anyone else.

She pulled off her own black hood to reveal pink hair, a lovely heart-shaped face, and intense chocolate brown eyes.

"Hello, Auntie Bella, remember me?" Tonks taunted, with her wand out, aimed at Bella's heart.

Bella held up her unarmed hands and thought quickly.

"Wait! Niece, don't fire. Look, I'm not a Death Eater anymore!" Bella exclaimed while slowly moving her right arm to pull up the sleeves of her left arm.

Tonks eyes narrowed. "No once can remove the Dark Mark! It's impossible!"

"You obviously don't know Harry Potter well enough."

_Gasp! _"What'd you do to Harry?!" she yelled

"Nothing, nothing," Bella replied. "If you know where he lives apparate there and I'll prove that I haven't done anything to the boy."

Tonks was clearly in a dilemma. On one hand, she had the second most wanted person right in front of her at wand point, while on the other hand, she worried about Harry's safety, not only as a protector, but as a secret admirer. Sure she knew that the kid was 7 years younger than her, but hey! There was that saying about love having no bounds or whatever. Tonks first met him when he was one. Her mother, being good friends with Lily brought her over, before they went into hiding. At the time, she was only eight, and she was immediately infatuated with the cute little baby with intense green eyes. She remembered playing with the little baby with a big grin on her face, and she vividly recalled watching Sirius, her cousin, throw the cute little baby into the air and catching him. She even remembered the scolding Lily gave Sirius for that. Oh yes, she was definitely infatuated with Harry at one. Fourteen years later, when she saw him at Headquarters, her first impression was that Harry was an underweight and moody person. She assumed that he might even be arrogant due to his fame. But luckily, he astounded her by acting so selflessly. He hated his fame, and would never throw it into other peoples' faces. He would never intentionally harm other people for his own benefit. And most of all, he was the kindest person she ever met. Being a Metamorphmagus lead people to always go up to her and ask her if she could change into some popular celebrity that they could gawk at, but not Harry. He never asked to see her change, he never asked to see her do something funny, and he never asked her to do something she didn't want to do. He was the most selfless person she'd ever met. Eventually after getting to know him a bit better, her small crush turned into full blown love. Of course, she realized that if she ever got into a relationship with the Boy-Who-Lived, the press would slander both her and Harry for such a "blasphemous relationship", seeing how she _was _seven years older.

Finally, Tonks decided on Harry's safety being the more important of the two. "Fine," she ordered. "We'll go to Harry's home. But FIRST! You're gonna put these handcuffs on, so you can't escape. No magic, no apparition, no port keys, and no Animagus transformations."

Bella complied, although hesitantly, and the two apparated on the lawn of 4 Privet Drive. Tonks quickly burst open the door.

Vernon, who was sitting at the table eating his second lunch (yes second, you heard me right), yelled out, his voice muffled with due to the entire sandwich he had just stuffed into his large mouth. Tonks ignored him completely, and walked straight to Harry's room. She saw the door and was about to step right up to it when she felt an overwhelming urge to look away. She snapped her head back and tried again. She looked away again and was about to scream with frustration when a voice spoke up.

"There's a notice-me-not ward on the door, as well as some other ward," Bella's voice bashfully chimed.

Tonks quickly dispelled the ward and burst into Harry's room.

"Harry!" she yelled out, almost crying in relief.

The aforementioned fifteen year old sprang right up, wand in hand. "What? Did something happen? Who died? Where? When?"

Tonks sobbed and threw her arms around Harry's neck. Harry, looking bewildered, slowly put his arms around her and patted her back.

Bella came in next with her hands in handcuffs. Harry sent her a baffled look that said 'What the hell?!'

Tonks' sobbing eventually slowed, and she pulled back. She wiped her face on her sleeve before looking down at the ground, her face as red as the Weasleys' hair. "Sorry," she muttered.

"Well, as much as I enjoy being hugged by a beautiful girl, I'd like to know what that was all about!" he exclaimed, still dazed by the sudden appearance of Tonks.

"I'm sorry. I saw Bellatrix Lestrange at Knockturn Alley and she said something about you. I thought you were in trouble or getting tortured by V-Voldemort or something so I can back here with her in tow," Tonks replied bashfully.

Harry, proud that she said Voldemort rather than You-Know-Who replied, "She's Bellatrix Black now. Apparently, she came to me with a Blood Debt to fulfill, and when I accepted, her marriage to Rodolphus Lestrange was immediately nullified."

Tonks gasped at the words 'Blood Debt'. It appeared she knew what it was. "So that means she's your slave now right?" she asked, immediately sure that the debt incurred because of Sirius' death.

"Yeah," Harry responded. "She also told me that, well, to make it short, she was initiated as a Death Eater and committed those horrible crimes against her will. Something about her being under the Imperius for nearly five years, so that she was under the curse even when she was sent to Azkaban. And I trust her, Tonks," he added, after seeing Tonks about to object. "And now, she's here to train me. I need to get ready to fight Voldemort, and since Dumbledore refuses to provide me any extra training besides Occlumency lessons with Snape, I'm going to learn from Bella."

Tonks immediately offered her services to also help train. It was a perfect way to get closer to the one man she loves, she thought.

A voice from behind startled the two of them. "Ummm, niece? Do you think you could possibly remove the handcuffs now?"

"Oh right, I knew I was forgetting something." Tonks quickly removed the handcuffs, and Bella rubbed her sore wrists.

"So," Bella asked to break the sudden silence, "How far have you gotten?"

Harry, taken aback by the abrupt change in subject, took his time to answer. "Well, I looked through _How to Defend Yourself From People Who Intend to Harm You _by Dee Fenjurselv, and was about to start the second book when you guys interrupted me."

Tonks suddenly piped up. "Hey! Maybe you should do some physical workouts first. It'll help increase your stamina in battle, and you're unnaturally thin right now."

"Yeah, well that's what starvation can do to you," he replied dryly.

Tonks, who was about to go smear some Dursley blood on the walls of the house, was stopped by Harry. "Just leave them alone. It always works for me."

Bella thought over Tonks idea. "You know what? My niece is right. We can all do some physical workouts first before we get to practicing. I'm not exactly in shape myself." She conjured and transfigured workout machines, and was about to do something to make room for a track field when Tonks pulled out a tent from her pocket.

"What?" she asked. "All Aurors are required to carry a portable Training Tent. It has all the stuff necessary to do physical workouts, including a giant track for running."

Bella, who was astounded by this, quickly dispelled her conjurations and transfigurations and beckoned Harry to enter the tent.

And thus started the beginning of Harry's change.

* * *

AN: Bella may be a slave, but she still has her free will, like Roman slaves. Roman slaves could go out and do what they wanted, they could buy stuff, own stuff, and were treated like normal people. They're more like servants than slaves. 

AN2: Oh yea, I'm an American, but I try to throw some British words in there. Please excuse me if it comes out awkward.


	3. True Feelings

Chapter 3: True Feelings

A/N: The book that Harry was reading? The author, Dee Fenjurselv? Defend yourself? Haha. Yeah, I made that up...

The next day, Dumbledore came by, wanting to know why Harry left his home and to where he went to. 

"I went out for a walk, Professor. Surely, it isn't _illegal_?" Harry asked with a disdainful sneer at the Headmaster.

Dumbledore, in return, sighed. He knew the death of Sirius would harm Harry, but to change him this much..."No it isn't, but Voldemort is hunting you down with even greater fervor now. The blood wards is the only thing that is currently preventing Tom from reaching you. But now, I must-"

"Voldemort took my blood for the ritual, so how the hell are the wards protecting me?!" Harry yelled in frustration. Tonks was outside playing guard to Harry, while Bella was up in his room. Harry and Dumbledore were currently in the sitting room (A/N: I think this is the British equivalent of a living or family room) of 4 Privet Drive.

"That's not the point," Dumbledore replied, brushing away the question as insignificant. He started to go back to what he was saying, but Harry interrupted again.

"And wasn't one of stipulations of the blood wards that I had to call Privet Drive home in order for them to work? Because I have never once called this place _home,_" he spat.

"As I was saying," Dumbledore exclaimed, totally ignoring Harry's recent outburst, "I must restrict you from leaving the house at all until school starts, and to enforce this, I'll convince Madam Bones to assign Nymphadora to your protection detail, since she's currently guarding you off-duty."

Dumbledore continued to ramble about how sorry he was for having to do this, but Harry was cackling with glee on the inside. Tonks was a good friend, so he could easily convince her to come with him to wherever he would go, and she was loyal to him more than the old man.

"...and now I must bid you a good day. Once again, I'm sorry Harry, but this is for your own good." Harry jerked up at this last sentence and arranged his face into one of unhappy reluctance.

Once Dumbledore left, Harry went back up to find his magically enlarged room empty.

"Bella?" he called out.

"In here," her voice rang from the potions lab.

He entered the lab to find her bent over a cauldron brewing something that looked particularly nasty. "What are you making?"

"It's a surprise," she replied happily.

A pop interrupted Harry, who was about to continue his inquiries. "Honey, I'm homeeeee!"

"Too much muggle TV shows, Tonks," Harry commented while shaking his head. "So anything of interest happen?"

"Yeah, I am now your official guard! Dumbledore convinced Madam Bones to assign me to you, so now I can get paid AND hang out with you, Harry!"

"And what am I, niece? Chopped liver?" Bella's voice rang out from the lab again.

"Alright, alright, hang out with Harry and Aunt Bella!"

"You can just call me Bella, you know."

"And you can call me Tonks. Not Nymphadora, not niece."

Their playful banter was interrupted by Harry, who informed the two that he still needed training. Tonks, being the playful Auror metamorphmagus she is, told him to just do some physical workouts in the tent. Bella said she'd join the two after finishing with her potion. The next two hours were full of weight lifting, running, and boxing.

When the trio emerged, Harry glanced over at the alarm clock next to his bed. The time read 2:05. "Stupid clock," he muttered. "It read 2:03 before, and now it's 2:05."

Tonks, who managed to hear Harry's grumblings, just suddenly remembered something. "Oh! I forgot to tell you this, but one hour in the tent is one minute in the outside world."

"And you just thought to inform me of it now?"

"Uhhh...sorry," she said sheepishly.

Bella, who was silent throughout this exchange, had an idea. "What if we do Harry's magic training in there? We can conjure up a dueling platform and bring in some books, and Harry can get in a lot more training that way!"

The month of July passed quickly, and Harry started to spend more and more time in the tent. With the passing of his birthday, his magical core expanded threefold. His spells became more powerful, and wandless magic was made easier, although he could only do the basic spells. He learned a lot of Dark Arts spells and Potions skills from Bella, and Tonks provided help in Charms and Transfigurations. His martial arts training, which he received from Tonks (all Aurors go through it in training; most just stop after graduating, she said), also improved to the point where he had to start teaching himself from books, and Tonks started learning from him. He also taught himself and the two girls fencing. Tonks showed no ability for it whatsoever, but Bella took to it like a fish does to water. During this time, Bella's potion was also finished. When she drank it, she seemed to magically decrease in age. The other two were astounded, and she explained that it was a semi-illegal potion that was very complicated to make, but any Potions master or mistress could do it (with enough time). Now, Bella looked around Tonks' age. A few days before his birthday, the two witches taught Harry how to apparate, and after practicing for several hours in the magical tent, mastered that particular skill too.

* * *

_August 1st_

Bella and Tonks were standing over Harry, watching him have a peaceful slumber in his bed. "Ready?" Bella asked.

"Yeah," Tonks whispered back. "On the count of three then?"

"One..."

"Two..."

"Three!"

"_Aguamenti_!" Twin streams of ice cold water sprayed the unmoving body of Harry. Nothing happened. The two had expected him to jump out of bed screaming, like he did last week. But now, he was just laying there...like a corpse.

Bella strode over to him and placed her ear near his head. "He's not breathing!" she exclaimed in a panic.

Tonks, in a manner that was unlike her, calmly walked over and performed CPR. A minute of CPR proved helpless, and the two watched helplessly while their favorite man passed on...

"BOO!"

Two screams echoed through the room. Harry was glad that the silencing charms were in place. Otherwise, half the neighborhood would've heard the screams and would assume that "the crazy boy who goes to St. Brutus" killed two people.

Tonks and Bella spun around to find Harry standing there with his arms crossed, a large grin on his face. "Ha, I got you-"

_Wham!_ Tonks went flying into Harry. She held onto his shirt like it was her lifeline, and cried into it for two full minutes. Harry, who was startled by the suddenness, awkwardly wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry for playing such a mean trick on you. I'm sorry, ok? I didn't mean it. I promise I won't ever do it again," he cooed into her ear.

Her wailing did not stop, and she continued to cry. When the tears began to stop, she mumbled. "I thought you were dead. I really thought you were dead. What would I do then? I never even got a kiss from you-" she stopped suddenly.

"A kiss?" Harry stammered, his face a Weasley red. Sure he was interested in Tonks, especially after the time the two spent together over the last month, but to find out that she was interested in him too? He was just a scrawny sixteen year old with messy black hair. Sure, his eyes was great, but that was probably the only good quality about him. Why would anyone like him?

"Yes, a kiss! I liked you since I met you when you were just one year old. It wasn't really love, but just affection for a small baby, and then when I "met" you again over the summer last year, I started to like you again. But now, with the month we've spent together, I think...I think..."

"Shh..." Harry said gently, placing a finger on her lips. He bent his head down and gently pressed his lips to hers. The feeling was wonderful. It was not at all like the kiss he shared with Cho. This was...simply magnificent. He could see why all the guys in the dorm were always talking about kissing a girl. His stomach fluttered with imaginary butterflies as she ran her tongue over his lips, begging entrance. He complied, and the two had an impromptu tongue wrestling match.

"Ahem."

The two sprang apart, totally forgetting about Bella's presence.

"As interesting as it is to see my master and my niece wrestle with their tongues, I believe we have some work to do? First off we must head to Gringotts so Harry here can receive his inheritance, and after that, we can take Harry to the Ministry so he can take his apparition test."

"Right, right," Harry said distractedly, as his mind was currently on the softness of Tonks' lips, how she fit perfectly in his arms, and how she smelled wonderful.

_Snap!_ The snapping fingers in front of his face brought Harry out of the realm of horniness and he blushed at how the thoughts affected a certain part of his lower body. "Yes, let's get going then."

Two pops (Harry had to hold onto Tonks, since he wasn't _legally_ allowed to apparate yet) sounded and the room was left in a peaceful silence.

* * *

The trio arrived at the apparition point in Diagon Alley and walked slowly to Gringotts. When they got there, they asked for Ragnok, so they could speak to him about an inheritance. The teller quickly scampered away, and Ragnok came back in a minute. He beckoned them towards his office with a single finger, and the trio immediately followed. 

"I understand that you are here to talk about an inheritance?"

"Yes, I'm here for the Potter inheritance," Harry commented, pulling back his hood.

"Of course, Mr. Potter. I've been waiting for you. Now," he paused to pull out a scroll even longer than the Black scroll. When he unfurled it, it turned out to be at least 5 feet long! "Let's see...You have inherited approximately fifteen million galleons, and along with your Black inheritance, that puts you at eighteen million galleons."

"Wow!" Tonks exclaimed in awe. "That's a lot of money, Harry!"

Ragnok, who was interrupted, resumed reading off the list. "You have also received stocks in several businesses, ownership of one or two businesses, the Potter Manor, and a cottage in Godric's Hollow. So now, in terms of businesses, you own: one third of Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes, twenty percent of Madam Malkin's, forty percent of Slug and Jiggers Apothecary, sixty percent of the Daily Prophet, five percent of the Nimbus broom company, and total ownership of Flourish & Blott's and Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop. Oh yes, you have a marriage contract too! How delightful."

And then our favorite black-haired, green eyed hero fainted.

* * *

Harry awoke to the feeling of a tongue in his month. Not his tongue of course, but someone else's. Mmmmmmm, how delightful. The head pulled back, and Harry moaned at the loss of the wonderful feelings he received from the other person. When he opened his eyes he found himself staring into Ragnok's eyes. 

"You taste pretty good, Mr. Potter."

Just kidding.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself staring into Tonks' currently blue eyes. He flashed her a grin before remembered that Ragnok told him he had a marriage contract.

"Mar- marriage contract?!" he croaked out. "What do you mean?"

"Well," the old goblin began. He pulled out a second scroll, and opened it up. "This marriage contract says that the next head of Potter would marry the youngest female Black, and it's signed Harold Potter and Orion Black. It would've normally applied to James Potter, but since he refused to become the head of the Potter family when his father, Harold Potter, told him about the contract. I was told that he was quite smitten with a certain Lily Evans. Anyway, since he refused, you have inherited the title, and by rights, the contract. And guess what? It seems the youngest current _female_ Black is young Nymphadora Tonks here."

"But she's a Tonks," Harry replied stupidly.

Tonks whacked him in the head. "Hello, my mother, Andromeda Black-Tonks?"

"Oh right," he said in understanding. "So that means...that I'm going to be marrying Tonks here?"

"Yes Mr. Potter," the goblin replied with what could be passed as a smile (if it wasn't for those sharp, pointy teeth).

A/N: Next chapter is out! Sorry it was so late. I would've preferred for it to have come out by December, but I had homework (yeah, over the break) to finish...


	4. The Hogwarts Express

Chapter 4: The Hogwarts Express

Harry's head quickly spun back and forth from Ragnok to Tonks, and from Tonks to Ragnok.

"Wh-wh-what!"

"Yes, Mr. Potter, you are now required to be married to Ms. Tonks here. The contract says that you are to be given one year to get to know each other before you get married, but from what I can see, I don't think that year is necessary."

The new couple blushed a deep red, and the sounds of muffled laughing was heard from behind.

"Anyway," Ragnok continued, "the marriage ceremony must be done before you turn 18, though, so I'd suggest getting to know each other _more intimately_," the old goblin said with a scary grin.

"Uhh...Ragnok? What happens if I _don't _marry Tonks?" Harry asked.

"Well...since this is a magical contract, it means that if you break it, your life is forfeit."

"Bu-bu-b-b-but I'm too YOUNG to be married!" he yelled.

"As I said before, you have until your 18th birthday before needing to be married. Now, if you have no more questions, I must bid you a good day. I. unfortunately, have a lot of paperwork to go through."

"W-w-wait! I still ha-"

Harry was suddenly cut off as a grinning Bella and a giddy Tonks dragged him out. "Have a nice day, Mr. Ragnok!" Bella called back.

Once outside the bank, Harry was still sputtering in denial and shock. The duo dragged him to the Apparition point and disappeared back to Privet Drive.

Bellatrix and Tonks pulled Harry's resisting body up into his modified room, as his legs refused to listen to him. He was _still _sputtering with all the dignity he could possibly have at the moment. Unfortunately, the two women decided that being dunked in a freezing tub of water would do wonders for his mental health.

The sputtering immediately changed into screams of pain. "IT'S COLD! COLD!" he yelled at the top of his lungs.

The two women can not help but fall down laughing, as the wet form of Harry stepped out of the large tub to where they were lying.

"You are _soooooo _gonna pay for that!"

And thus, a chase around the room started. Now normally, playing tag inside a bedroom isn't too smart, but playing tag inside a magically enlarged room...Well that must've been fun.

An hour later, a sweating Harry plopped down on a couch and rubbed his forehead. "Oh man, marriage..." he moaned.

"Don't worry," Tonks said softly, coming up to Harry. "We can take it slow. In fact, why don't we start slow now?" And with that, she pressed her lips to Harry's.

Behind the two, Bella stood there, as if in a trance. "_I just...wish I had a romance as nice as theirs. All I've ever had was Rodolphus, and that prick was as straight as a circle."' _Bella's face contorted into a depressed frown. Turning back around, she walked off to her own bed, leaving the future husband and wife to their own devices.

-

It was the middle of August, and Harry's training as a wizard was coming along nicely. His training in Charms, Dueling (which was basically Defense against the Dark Arts), Transfiguration, and Potions was nearing the level of a master. Not only were Tonks and Bella good teachers, they also provided many tomes from the Ministry's library (Tonks) and from shady Knockturn dealers (Bella).

To celebrate (and to have some time off), the trio left their home secretly and headed towards Diagon Alley (in disguise of course). After arriving, the master, his girlfriend, and his slave headed towards Florean Fortescue's. They walked in and prepared to order their delectable ice cream.

"Hello sir and madams!" The jovial proprietor greeted the three. "What can I get for you today?"

"A triple chocolate fudge sundae for me, and…" he paused to look at the girls, who answered for him.

"A double scoop of vanilla please," Bella said demurely.

"A…a…ten-scoop of strawberry," Tonks nearly shouted.

Harry, Florean, and all nearby customers coughed, raised an eyebrow, or covered their mouth in a sign of amusement at that.

"What?" she asked, "I couldn't think of the word for ten and I like my ice cream."

While the ice cream was being prepared, Tonks leaned in towards Harry and casually flicked her wind, bringing up a charm that would block anyone from trying to eavesdrop on their conservation.

"So what are your plans once at school? Expecting another attack by a DADA teacher, perhaps?" Tonks asked.

Harry shook his head, as Bella leaned in to also listen. "I'm just gonna try to have a normal time this year. I won't show off my abilities, and I'll stay out of trouble!" he ended his speech with a firm resolution to do just that.

However, his fiancé/girlfriend had something to say about that. "Don't you mean that trouble finds you?" she asked with a giggle.

Harry scowled in return and continued, as if he hadn't heard her. "I'll study hard, get good grades, and basically, just try to be a normal student."

Dropping her act of silliness, Tonks asked, "Alright then. Have you considered a career for after your time at school? Although you have enough money to last until your great great great great grandchildren, it would be a good idea to have something to do. Unless, of course, you want to continue your training. Despite the fact that you are reaching the level of a master in the four base classes, your work is too…textbook to be considered a real master. Real masters are usually given the title after they invent something new that revolutionizes the world of magic, or being to develop their own style to do their work. For example, the man who invented the flame spell, _Flammas_, Gregory Flammas, reached the mastery level by presenting his spell to the board of masters."

Harry interrupted here to ask a question. "Board of masters? What's that?"

"The board of masters is basically a council of the most talented masters of each noteworthy subject: namely, Potions, Herbology, Charms, Transfigurations, and Duelling. Anyway, another example is back when Potions was extremely popular (today, Potions is unpopular, due to the fact that a decade or two of students have lost interest due to Hogwarts' very own Potions teacher), a man trying for his master developed a whole new field that branches off Potions. Nicholas Flamel has invented the field of Alchemy. Flamel is probably the only one to create a more well-known field, although it is very true that some masters have created their own minor specializations."

Tonks was once again interrupted, although this time it was by the arrival of their ice cream. The trio ate their ice cream in silence for a few minutes, before Harry thought of something new.

"Oh man," he groaned. "I can't believe this! In all the training we've been doing lately, I totally forgot about Animagus training! And Occlumency training! Oh Merlin, we even bought BOOKS on Occlumency!"

Both women looked at each other before slapping their hands to their foreheads. Apparently, the ladies just realized this too.

"Well, we have two and a half weeks to start on it, Harry," Tonks contributed. "Let's go get some books and reutnr back to your home as soon as possible."

The trio quickly entered the bookstore and bought several large tomes on Animagus transformations.

As soon as they left the shop, Harry remembered another little detail.

"Oh, I forgot, I need some treats for Hedwig. While I do that, you two go buy three magical trunks. One for each of us. Connect the trunks through an inter-floo system, and make sure that each trunk has at least a room, a library, and a dueling room."

He turned around and headed towards the Magical Menagerie. Upon entering, his senses were assaulted by the cacophony of noises and smells. Heading over to the owl section, he quickly grabbed several packages of owl food before heading towards the counter to pay for his items. On his way, he passed the snake section, where several hissing sounds caught his attention.

"_It's so boring here_," hissed one snake.

"_You're right, but I'd rather be here where I don't have to do anything and food is handed to me_," replied another snake.

Then the first snake emitted a noise that resembled a sigh. "_Of course._"

A third voice entered the conversation. "_You guys are a bunch of useless pets_," it hissed disdainfully. "_A true snake should be out enjoying the sun's rays, catching small mice to feed on..._"

Harry slowly approached the tank where the third snake was held in. A small sign read "Ashwinder – the Fire Serpent, perfect for giving your fireplace a nice cozy feeling to it!"

Harry couldn't help but stare at the sign. I mean, really, did anyone actually believe this stuff? It also didn't help the fact that the sign was covered in dust, probably as a result of no one having been near here (besides the person feeding them of course).

"_Stupid fleshbag, staring at me like I'm so sort of animal on display._"

At this Harry let loose a snort. Stupid fleshbag? That was most certainly a new insult.

Hearing the snort, the Ashwinder looked up at Harry, as if he heard him.

"_Eh yeah right. The chances of this pathetic fleshbag being able to speak the noble language of the serpents is slim to none_," the snake hissed to itself, as if to reassure itself that all was right in the world and that the apocalypse wasn't approaching for at least another year.

"_Well, I suppose that I make the impossible possible…_" Harry hissed to the snake.

The snake's head immediately sprung back up towards him.

"_Are you…are you really a speaker?_" it asked with much hope in its voice.

"_What'd you do if I said no I wasn't?_" Harry replied sarcastically.

"_You are, you are! You're a speaker! Please, please buy me! Take me from this boring place of insanity! Please, I beg of you! I am an Ashwinder, and I will be able to protect you in exchange for freedom!_" The begging in the snake's voice was practically tangible. Yeah, that's how desperate the snake was.

Harry sighed. "_Very well_."

He stuck his arm into the tank, and the Ashwinder wrapped itself around his arm.

"_To freedom!_" it hissed, as Harry continued his trek towards the front counter.

At the front counter, Harry showed the clerk the box of owl treats, and pulled his sleeve up to show the Ashwinder wound around his arm.

"I'll take this Ashwinder too," he told the clerk. The clerk, who happened to be totaling up Harry's purchases, looked up and let loose a quick shriek at the snake.

"Y-yes, of course sir," the man said, while his shaking hands attempted to calculate the total costs. After a minute, Harry finally paid for his purchases and left. He met up with Tonks and Bella, who showed the shrunken trunks in their hands, before apparating away.

-

Two pops later, and the trio were back in Harry's enlarged room. Bella took out their new books and put it in Harry's new magical trunk, along with their previous books.

"Why did you get the inter-floo system, Harry?" Tonks asked.

"Well, I thought it was kinda obvious. That way, we can still visit each other, since I'm gonna be at Hogwarts, and you're gonna be doing Auror work."

Turning back to the trunk, Harry asked aloud, "So what other features does this trunk come with?"

Bella responded, "Besides the initial bedroom, dueling chamber, and library you requested for, there's an extra bedroom, a bathroom, and a kitchen in each of the trunks.

"Very good," he complimented. "Now, I took so long at the Magical Menagerie because I found another new pet."

His Ashwinder crawled out from his sleeve, and looked around, before curling itself around his neck lightly, looking like a stylish scarf.

"Now, what to call you," he pondered aloud. "_Do you have a name? I'd rather not continue to call you Ashwinder._"

"_My name is Seras_," the Ashwinder replied.

"He told me his name is Seras," Harry relayed to the girls.

"_And I'm a female_," she added.

"_She_ told me _her _name is Seras, I mean," Harry corrected.

After everything got settled down, the trio got ready to go to sleep, seeing as how they wanted to start training early tomorrow morning.

-

The next two weeks and a half before the first day of school were very eventful. Harry and Bella managed to discover their Animagus forms, while Tonks found out that she didn't have one, since she was already a Metamorphmagus. With extensive training due to the tent, both Harry and Bella managed to become full Animagus forms.

Although they did spend a lot of time in the tent, they realized that the tent decreased strength a lot quicker, so that they could not stay _too _long in the tent. Otherwise Harry would've trained past master level in his courses in the tent.

Their work on Occlumency also worked. All three of them managed to build average barriers to protect their mind. It wasn't enough to totally block Dumbledore's probes, but it was certainly enough to detect them, so that they could quickly look away. Since the book they had on Occlumency were on Mind Magics and not Occlumency specifically, they also managed to learn a very primitive form of Legilimency, so that their probes could detect surface thoughts of their targets. Any practitioner of Occlumency would be able to immediately sense their probes and defend accordingly, but to those who didn't study Mind Magics, this was a great boon.

Currently, Harry, Tonks, and Bella were at King's Cross, at Platform 9. Entering the magical platform would be suicidal, seeing how people didn't understand that Bella was his slave now, and not a Death Eater anymore.

"Since Bella can't come to the platform with me, let's just say our goodbyes here. I'm sure you have new duties, now that your job of guarding me is over, Tonks. Bella, you can do anything you want while in my room. Study, relax, whatever. If you want, we can all meet up every night at a certain time, say ten? Alright then. Seeya guys then." With that, he kissed Tonks on the lips and kissed Bella on the cheek.

He turned around and walked through the barrier to Platform 9 ¾.

As soon as Harry reached the magical platform the noises hit him. There were many faces he recognized in the crowd, and many he didn't. Parents sending off their children, exchanging hugs…

Ah, if only he had that…

His eyes finally landed on the giant scarlet train. This was the magnificent Hogwarts Express.

-

A/N: Sorry about the long delays. So many stories to read...Brawl may also be a big reason why I haven't been updating recently. It's an AWESOME GAME!

Anyway, the ending to this chapter was a bit rushed to me, since I just wanted to post this on a day where I have no homework. I dunno when the next day like that will come, so...yeah.

Thanks for reading!


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